this morning on "early today," round 2. obama romney face their toughest inquisitors yet, you the public. hillary steps up. the secretary of state takes responsibility for the benghazi consulate attack. and 4,000 foot accident. it's called base jumping. and 4,000 foot accident. it's called base jumping. what happens next was a miracle. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. i'm lynn berry. while the nation is focused on tonight's second presidential debate. hillary chin continue to is stepping forward to become the lightening rod for the deadly

attack in libya. clinton pushed back on the idea that president obama and vice president biden ignored warning signs and clinton rejected any suggestion the white house was shifting blame to the state department. >> i take responsibility. i'm in charge of the state department. 60,000 plus people all over the world, 275 posts. the president and the vice president certainly wouldn't be knowledgeable about specific decisions that are made by security professionals. they're the ones who weigh all of the threats and the risks and the needs and make a considered decision. >> today "the new york times" is reporting the administration is stepping up efforts to help the libyan government to create an anti-terror commando force. after mitt romney's polished performance in denver, the white house is promising president obama will not hold back during

tonight's pressure packed town hall debate in new york. the presidency could be on the line with tightening polls three weeks away. nbc's tracie pots has the story. >> reporter: good morning. we're getting interesting insight today from the first wives of these candidates. the first lady and ann romney. his sparring partner said they had a great debate prep. meantime, michelle obama talking about her role as a cheerleader in new york. she'll be smiling and giving the president the thumbs up. but what supporters and voters are looking for is a stronger performance from president obama. some democrats saying he really needs to lay out why the obama/biden ticket should be the one to win. coming up in just a few weeks now this will be a town hall format. the audience involved, engaged, and also the candidates pushing their agendas as well.

paul paul ryan saying it gives them a chance to cut through the clutter. some of the issues coming up is mitt romney's fuzzy math on his tax plan and the 47% that he got caught on camera talking about dismissing, president obama says. the president expect the to bring up all of that. he dismissed and did not bring up the 47% in this last debate. meantime, mitt romney very likely to bring up that attack on libya that you talked about just a moment ago. meantime, what's going on in the polls? reuters daily tracking poll showing things pretty much at the same pace of a few days ago. president obama up by two points which virtually is a tie. >> tracie pots in washington. thanks so much. nbc news political director and chief white house correspondent chuck todd tells us what the candidates should be watching for with the public asking the questions. >> reporter: you have to be careful. you can attack a moderator and you win points with the public.

you attack a member of the public and you lose points with the public. look, this race is at a nice edge of closeness. you no longer describe this race as close but the president has structural advantages. there are no more buts. it is that close. the opportunity and pitfalls for both of them have to do with this format. mitt romney's biggest hurdle to the presidency is this issue of relating to the average joe or jane. well, joe and jane is asking questions tomorrow night. he pulls that off, he breaks through this one big barrier and the structural shift in the race that we're seeing state by state could continue and give him great advantages. for the president, of course, he's got to repaint mitt romney as that caricature as being out of touch rich guy. we'll see if he can p pull that off. >> nbc's chuck todd. be sure to watch tonight's live coverage of the debate. 9:00 p.m. eastern, 6:00 pacific time on this nbc station. new this morning, major reform coming from cuba.

the government is changing travel restrictions. cubans will no longer be forced to require a complicated exit visa. a simple passport and visa to the country they're traveling is all they need. the u.s. supreme court is going to decide whether you need new proof to vote. they're expected to render a decision by june. here's a look at stories making news in virginia. we are going to begin with a vicious beating. new york police officers battered a homeless man for several minutes after he refused to leave a synagogue outreach center. community leaders are outraged because the man had permission to be there. police officials issued a statement saying force was only used after a man refused to leave a woman's section of the facility. the spotlight on a prostitution case in maine just got a little bit bigger. police have now released the

names of 21 people allegedly connected to a brothel run out of a zumba studio. more than 100 men are believed to be on the exercise instructor's list. alexis wright is charged with over 100 counts of prostitution and other charges. a couple of tennessee scuba divers scared up some halloween spirit. they did their best to car of jack could he lanterns under water. it's a month long halloween celebration. finally, the iconic sign overlooking los angeles is getting a face lift. over the next eight to ten weeks they'll use 110 gals of prime skbrer and 275 gals of paint. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins, he has that forecast. good morning to you. >> i thought they would have pantded it off site and put the letters back on. >> they would need a big trailer for that. >> it wouldn't be that easy.

have you been up there? >> i have, yes. >> i haven't ton that. >> pretty cool. >> on my short list. it's a long list. here's what we're looking at this morning. very quiet october morning. temperatures are very mild. remember the big cold blast of air we had about a week ago. that is clearly gone as pacific air and the warm, mild air is flowing right across the country. the storm system that did affect the middle of the country over the weekend and the east coast yesterday is leaving new england this morning. behind it just warm air is flowing across the country. all the storms are going to be tlup along the canadian/u.s. border. temperatures, minneapolis, 57. we're mild in boss stone. the only chilly spot there is around chicago and the great lakes. everybody else from denver to atlanta a very mild morning. we have a few rain showers that are still left over in new england. we have a few rain showers with a weak storm system up in northern minnesota and wisconsin. numerous rain showers in idaho and montana.

this storm will be very windy over the next 24 to 48 hours. montana into the dakotas. as far as the rain goes, it's over with for connecticut, most of massachusetts. a few showers boston down to providence. those should be gone by the time we get to the heart of the rush hour. up in maine you will have to deal with some showers during your morning commute. the forecast for today. i mentioned it will be a mild, beautiful day. near 80. denver, kansas city. st. louis. chicago near 70. this is a beautiful, beautiful day. everyone on the east coast. it will be a little more windy and cooler. dry and near 60 degrees. it is beautiful by most people's fall standards. that's a look at your national forecast. now here's a look outside your window. washington, d.c., one of those spots that's starting to see some patchy color on the leaves and a beautiful, sunny day will make it look nicer. should be very mild in areas of tennessee, kentucky looks great. 2345shville, 74 degrees. enjoy.

i didn't mention it yet because it's not going to hit anywith you but there's a hurricane off the east coast. i'll show you pictures later. bill, thanks. if you have a pet, we have a food recall to tell you about. and the shocking appearance of the 9/11 mastermind khalid sheik muhammad. plus peyton manning's herculean comeback ties dan marino's fourth quarter mosts. you're watching "early today."

here are some of the stories making news this morning. khalid sheikh mohammed showed up with his beard died a bright reddish orange color. he and his co-defendants were much more subdued. trial is set at least a year off. the 14-year-old pakistani girl shot in the head by the taliban is safe inside a british hospital known for its work with wounded troops. she is said to have hopes for a

good recovery. george mcgovern has been placed in hospice care. he's 90 years old. his daughter says he is nearing the end of his life. mcgovern lost the 1972 race to richard nixon. the families of those killed in the colorado theater shooting massacre will receive about 70% of the money from a $5 million donation fund. the rest of the money will go to those injured if they were hospitalized overnight. hey, look out. the sun is out. all four of them. amateur astronomers using data from a nasa telescope have stumbled on to a distant planet about the size of neptune that orbits around a pair of stars and even crazier another pair of stars revolves around the planet. incredible video out of norway. the bar holding a base jumper gives way and it flings the man over the side of a 4,000 foot

cliff. he was able to open his parachute and he survived. one of the top health stories on nbc.com, the government is investigating two more drugs made by that massachusetts pharmacy at the heart of the meningitis outbreak that has killed 15 and sickened hundreds more. the fda is looking into three new cases, one a possible case of meningitis that may be tied to a second steroid used for spinal injections. the other two cases are rare fungal infections that may be tied to a solution used in heart surgeries. >> announcer: early today health is brought to you by vagisil sp h watch. here's a look at how wall street begins its day. the dow closed 19,424. the s&p up 11, the nasdaq gained 20. overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei jumped 123 points while in hong kong the hang seng added 58.

news that americans shopped and spent more last month sent retail stocks on a tear monday. revised august figures in a 1.1% rise in september marked the largest gains in two years, which adds up to good news for our consumer driven economy. citigroup delivered strong earnings driving bank stocks higher. the aclu is suing morgan stanley claiming it targeted african-americans for expensive and risky mortgage loans. nordstrom has stepped up its support of gay and lesbian employees by endorsing same-sex marriage. nature's recipe dog biscuits made of chicken are being recalled because of possible salmonella poisoning. the area's population grows by 1/3 every winter. the national shoe retailer's association says the average woman's shoe has shot up more than one whole size over the past 30 years.

and we told you before about pizza hut's offer of a lifetime of free pie or $15,000 to anyone willing to ask the candidates if they prefer sausage or pepperoni at tonight's town hall style debate. well, the company decided the idea was half baked and they have moved the promotion on line. good call. coming up, a colossal comeback, and your chance to own a piece of college basketball history. plus, it's a hit for a hit in san francisco. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. it's a dry forecast across the country, but it's going to be very windy in a few spots. i'll tell you where coming up. you're watching "early today."

in sports, first to san diego for some monday night football. denver seemed finished heading into the second half with the chargers up 24-0. peyton manning threw three touchdown passes and tony carter and chris harris scored off turnovers by philip rivers. the broncos came back to win it with 35 unanswered points. baltimore ravens pro bowl linebacker ray lewis will miss the rest of the season because of a torp triceps in his right arm. the cardinals beat them 7-1 noting the game. marco scutaro took a big hit on

a late slide into second by matt holliday but answered with a hit of his own. scutaro slugged a two run single in a four run fourth inning for the giants. tonight the yankees down will face detroit ace justin verlander. coaching great bobby knight is selling all three of his national championship rings from his time with the indiana hoosiers as well as his gold medal from the 1984 olympics and various trophies, jackets, and other memorabilia. it's reportedly not because of financial issues. knight wants to clear some clutter. good clutter to have. just ahead, big announce nlts from the rolling stones and the golden globes and president obama weighs in on that "american idol" feud. plus an inspiring san diego teen gets the royal treatment at his high school. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." this is hurricane rafael. this is the east coast of the united states. only 840 miles away. it's going to brush bermuda with pretty strong winds during the next 24 hours, but it's going to stay away from the east coast. only some large waves and wells. today's forecast, a very quiet day across the country. there are some showers in new england and also minnesota and wisconsin. it will be very windy in the next two days. montana into the dakotas. we'll get showers with that storm in the midwest come your wednesday. overall, looks good for everyone's travel in the next two days. bill, thanks so much.

now for some entertainment news. word is ricky gervais is out, tina faye and ricky polar is in. they will host the 70th annual golden globe awards on january 13th right here on nbc. fey has won two golden globes for "30 rock" while polar received a nomination last year for "parks and recreation." the rolling stones are hitting the road in honor of their 50th anniversary. on youtube they announced two shows in november and two december shows in newark. new jersey. president obama said he's confident feuding "american idol" judges will sort things out. when asked to pick a favorite, the president chose carey because he's done events for him but he has minaj's music on his ipod. >> be honest. wouldn't we rather hear what his daughters prefer? >> or maybe a little bit more current events with that. >> they may go with nicki minaj.

>> i think it's dangerous when the president is weighing in on an "american idol" feud, don't you? >> it's important stuff. >> exactly. breaking news. we broke in with it here. this comes to us from knsd nbc 7 in san diego, california, students at one high school showed their classmate just how popular he is on campus. ivan mendoza who has down's syndrome was elected homecoming king in a landslide. crawford high school seniors jumped at the chance to crown him homecoming king. ivan's core row nation began at friday's pep rally and ended with him dressed to the nines for saturday's school dance. looking good there. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

it is 4:28 right now. a bit cooler -- a lot cooler than it was this time yesterday, but not too much. sunshine is on the way, and your forecast is first. good morning. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> and i'm eun yang. welcome to "news 4 today" for this tuesday, october 16, 2012. university of maryland is warning students about an armed robbery near campus. the robbery happened on the intersection of calvert road and princeton avenue. several students were running when they were approached by a man with a gun. police say that's when another man joined the suspect and demanded the students' property. it's not clear what they got away with.

two hikers from virginia no longer missing in montana, and they will return home today. neal peckens of herndon and jim hiser of richmond went hiking in glacier national park last week. neal's mother says the pair hiked into the back country and fell into a ravine. they were stranded in cold temperatures and more than a foot of snow. park rangers found the men safe around 3:30 yesterday afternoon. >> when i found out that he was found, i just let go and just sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. >> peckens and hiser were taken to a hospital and given a clean bill of health. it's not clear what time they'll be arriving home today. today metro officials will testify to congress about extending the deadline for cell phone service in all of its underground stations. today was actually the original deadline for metro to have service for every station, but it now says it will not complete the project until 2015. metro released a memoin